Chapter Eight: In The Endless Perfection Of Your Absence

Haley stood at the corner of the street waiting for Nathan, she hadn't been feeling well all week and Nathan had to convince her to finally go to the hospital. Knowing it was nothing but a cold, or the stomach flu, haley agreed, just to make him happy. And now here she was, standing on the corner in the hot sun, wishing he'd hurry up. In the corner of her eye, she could see two happy figures walking toward her. Haley knew who it was, and she also knew what was next. They had been doing this since the night at the café, acting like strangers.

They got next to her, but kept walking, Lucas smiled, as did Brooke, and hand in hand they faded in the distance. The mistake they had made became more and more obvious each day, they avoided each other more and more. It was now at the point where they couldn't speak to each other when they saw each other. They'd politely smile and then walk pass like they were strangers on the street. But in reality, it seemed now that they really were, strangers. But it wasn't how it was supposed to be. Best Friends, Forever, no matter what they wouldn't turn their backs on each other.

Haley stood in the same position for what seemed like forever, worriedly watching the place where Lucas once stood. She knew that Lucas avoided her, because of her feelings towards Brooke, ands he understood. She was being very cold to Brooke, but she couldn't let what she did go. There was a time when they were joined at the hip, they were Lucas and Haley and now they were Lucas and... who? She wasn't Haley anymore. She didn't know who she was all she knew was...

"This is not who I wanted to be..." Haley whispered toward an empty street.

" I know how you feel there, you getting the cold shoulder too?" A voice echoed from behind. A voice that cut through her mind and filled her with confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Haley asked with anger, wiping away a lonely tear that had managed to find its way through the confusion and fear that had been written in her eyes. Turning to face the person she stared at a curly head blond with frozen blue eyes, ice that probably escaped from her heart. Haley hated her. She was the reason Lucas left her, and she was the reason she had stayed up night upon night with Brooke, smothering in tears, while Peyton, smothered in her ego.

" It's my home, incase you had forgotten. Still hating me huh? Wow, nothing changes in Tree Hill." Peyton sneered and then chuckled at her own self.

"You stay away from Lucas and Brooke, do you hear me?" What was Haley saying? Rooting for Brooke? Protecting her? It was out of the blue, but felt normal to protect her two best friends. No matter how distant they were, they'd always be her best friends.

"Been talking to Lucas lately Haley?" Peyton grinned, proud of how she was able to leave Haley speechless, and hurt by her situation.

" Why the hell would you think that its any of your business?" Haley replied quickly, trying not to give her emotions away.

"Ah, Haley James, Tree Hill's little saint herself. But wait, didn't you also have a fling with Lucas? Ah, yes that's right, and here you stand in front of me, telling me to stay away from him. I'll be seeing Lucas, because Im not Brooke's latest threat. You took the wheel this time, you're the one who hurt her." Peyton whispered in a stern voice.

" You don't know what you're talking about..." Haley started but was cut off.

" News travels quickly in Tree Hill. And our little saint isn't much of a saint now is she? When I heard you guys were together... I was amazed, and happy because now Brooke can blame you...oh you know what would have been a great storyline? If he knocked you up. That's right pulled a Dan Scott. Then again, you are standing in front of a hospital... not feeling well Haley? Stomach flu maybe? Morning sickness? Fatigue? Hmm... interesting..."

" Yea, Lucas and I were together. But there's a difference, Lucas and Brooke weren't together! Im not like you see... Im not such a backstabbing, two faced bitch..."

"No, maybe they weren't together, but they still loved each other just the same? Right? So what's the difference? You're terrible Haley. Lucas' best friend... and you called me the bad one...HA!" Peyton got closer to Haley and stared at her harshly. She could see how much she hurt her, when the tears started pouring down her cheeks and her face twisted with anger.

"You lying hypocritical...bitch..." Haley inhaled deeply and stared into Peyton eyes, ones that were once frozen but now full of fire. She was like some kind of dark angel, and she was about to throw everything in the air, like she had a tendency to do. Why couldn't she have stayed away?

"No, Haley, that's you." She whispered in her ear and she began to walk by, patting Haley on the shoulder. " Try to keep up tutor girl..." She laughed and was gone. Haley stood in shock, thinking over everything Peyton had said. Maybe she was right. Haley was with Lucas when she loved Nathan, and she knew Lucas loved Brooke... how could she do that to either one of them?

"Hey baby, sorry I was late, traffic... how'd it go?" Nathan spoke as he hopped out of his car to greet Haley on the sidewalk. He saw her crying, and stood next to her to comfort her. She wrapped her arms tight around his waist and layed her head on his chest.

"Im sorry..." Haley whispered when she finally calmed down and decided it was time for her to get her act together, to straighten things out.

" Hey.. For what?" Nathan asked, pushing her away far enough to hold her face and look into her eyes.

"For everything... I love you... okay?" She sniffled.

"Okay... I love you too..." He whispered kissing her forehead and then pulling away to escort her to the car.

"So, uh what's going on with you and Haley now? You guys seem so...distant." Brooke asked Lucas when they got further down the road, after passing her by the hospital. Feeling Lucas' grip on her hand tightened she could tell he had also been thinking about, and feared that she would be their reason for drifting apart.

Lucas watched his feet kick rocks at the ground and watched as a silent tear fell on his sneaker. He watched them consistently fall, right on time one after the other He really missed Haley but didn't want Brooke to know that. Glancing up into Lucas' face, squinting the forbidden sunlight out of her eyes she watched his cheeks drown in emotion. The tears that were landing on the ground in front of him as he had his head down, suddenly found their way into Brooke's awaiting arms. But then, the one place they were meant to be, they wouldn't go. He found comfort in her arms and his pain went away and he felt the need to open up to her.

"I miss her so much Brooke... how can you go from something to nothing? Just like that?" Brooke struggled to answer his question but stopped to look at his icy blue eyes stare into hers, and knew that no answer would fill his best friends void in his heart. They walked a little more, and sat on a bench at a bus stop. Lucas turned to Brooke and gave her a sweet smile, yet a pitiful smile. " Pey.. Someone said to me once... ' When someone is gone, they're gone forever, and all you have left is memories to try to re-create a person that used to live and breathe right in front of you...' Haley and I have many memories, and I think about them all over and over, but she was my best friend, and no matter how many memories we have, its not enough, its not her..."

"Lucas! Haley is not gone. Actually she's just right around the corner. And if you're sacrificing your friendship so that I won't get hurt, and so that I don't have to face Haley ever single day... then don't! Im a big girl Luke, and how are Haley and I going to get things together, if we don't face each other? Lucas... you don't need to miss Haley, she's not gone, she's still here. You are both just too stubborn to take the first step in getting back to normal. So, be a man Lucas..." Brooke slightly laughed at Lucas' growing grin of hope... " Stop being so damn stubborn. Go talk to her.

"But Brooke. You're- " Lucas began to argue but Lucas gave him a look that stopped im before he even started.

"Don't worry about me. It's my turn to worry about you. Just go, before all you have is memories, just like Peyton told you." Brooke smiled as Lucas' eyes opened wide. He as aware that she knew who he was talking about.

"Brooke I.."

"Lucas! God! She's not here any more, God only knows where she is, she can't hurt us anymore, even if she were here, I wouldn't let it happen. Now stop stalling, GO!..." She smiled and as he kissed her cheek and jumped up.

" Well, I hope she's not here anyways. Because sometimes... I wonder about you Lucas. How did you actually feel about Peyton?" Brooke thought out loud as she watched his quickly fading image run faster than she ever seen him go before.

Lucas' feeding were numbing against the hard pavement as he ran harder and harder to find Haley.

Who are you now are you still the same or did you change somehow. What do you do at this very moment when I think of you.

" Haley.." Lucas called at an empty sidewalk. Staring at a place filled with regret. The place where he walked pass hid best friend, alone on the street, in front of a hospital, maybe sick, and just walked on by. A place where he could have stopped and talked to her, hugged her, but instead he walked away, treated her like a stranger, leaving her in his perfect absence.

And when Im looking back how we were young and stupid. Do you remember that? No matter how I fight it. Can't deny it. Just can't let you go.

Brooke sat on an empty bench, contemplating her future, and who she was.

I still need you. I still care about you. Though everything's been said and done.

Lucas stood, itching for things to be normal again.

I still feel you, like Im right beside you. But still no, word from you.

Nathan sat on his bed, wondering why Haley acted so weird on the ride home, and what she was hiding.

Now look at me, instead of moving on I refuse to see, that I keep coming back. Yet Im stuck in a moment. That wasn't meant to last. I've try to fight it. Can't deny it.

Peyton laid on her couch, flicking through pictures of her and Lucas, and wondering how she could have let him go.

You don't even know. That I still need you. I still care about you. Though everything's been said and done. I still feel you. Like Im right beside you. But still no, word from you. I wish I could find you just like you found me. Then I would never let you go.

Haley fell to her knees in a quiet desperation, letting out dreadful sobs, dropping a piece of plastic, with a positive sign, to the floor. Wondering how such a small symbol could wipe away her whole future. And Lucas'.

Though everything's been said and done. I still feel you. Like Im right beside you. But still no word from you.


Whoa .. so kinda left you with a cliffhanger didnt I? lol... Update will be up real soon... Review!